#What is your state's vision for public library Internet connectivity and network service provision?

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#Describe your attempts to get high speed connectivity in your state. Are there pockets of high connectivity? What accounts for these pockets.

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#What do you see as the largest barriers to connectivity?

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#What are the general problems and issues you face in getting high speed access for local public libraries to the internet and for other library functions?

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#Are there any studies in your state that would be helpful?

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#If the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were going to try and help in this arena, what could they do?

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#Who else should we interview? (Again, we’ll ask this in advance).

Revision as of 12:00, 2 February 2007

This page is divided into two parts. The first is the standardized data that we would like to collect from all states as we visit them. The second part contains links to the state visit planning pages for each of the seven states (forthcoming) we will be visiting. If there is data that you would like to collect from certain states, please put it into the section at the bottom of the page.

State Standard Data

While in states which questions do we want to pose to gather a standard amount of data.

Latest Discussion

Introduction

We should probably start with the purpose of the visit. Here is what I propose we say to the State Librarians. (If they were at the COSLA focus groups, they already know this but it would be worth repeating.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is very interested in assisting states with high speed bandwidth connectivity. The have give a grant to the ALA Office of Information and Technology Policy to conduct research into which states currently have many libraries with high speed connectivity and which states have few libraries with such connectivity. We will be talking to 13 state librarians in high connectivity states to determine the factors that might have led to high connectivity. We will be visiting two states with low connectivity to see what factors contribute to that situation. Some of the visits will be in person and some will be by telephone. We will be looking for ways to transfer the factors that lead to high connectivity to states with lower connectivity.

At our meeting we agreed that we would identify some questions that we would ask in every state and some questions that would be specific for each state. Here is my first attempt at general questions asked everywhere. In every state we would try and get a picture of the development of any network, its current status, and future plans. I took some of the COSLA focus group questions as they look like a good starting place in all the states with some of the questions moved to the network description phase of the interview.

General Questions

Where is the state library in your state’s structure?

What is your state's vision for public library Internet connectivity and network service provision?

What are the general problems and issues you face in getting high speed access for local public libraries to the internet and for other library functions?

Are there any studies in your state that would be helpful?

If the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were going to try and help in this arena, what could they do?

Information about each network

We will assume that Karen Strege will have gathered as much information as possible in advance. We will follow up with these questions to clarify information we already have and clarify contradictory information.

MB Comments: We have had contact with Garret Sern EDUCAUSE (a non-profit that deals with technology in higher ed. Part of his job is to work with state ed networks. He has volunteered to help us make contact with state networks @ a state networks meeting during the week February 5th.

Initial Discussion

What is your state's vision for public library Internet connectivity and network service provision?

What are the general problems and issues you face in getting high speed access for local public libraries to the internet and for other library functions?

How do you help libraries calculate how much high speed access they will need? Or how do they calculate this? Do you have a planning guide that helps local libraries make this decision?

How are libraries using high speed access or how do they want to use it if they had it or had more? What can’t they do that they want to do?

What role does e-rate play in high speed access for public libraries?

What are the most successful methods that libraries have used to connect to high speed access in your state? (Type of connectivity; coalitions; unique configurations, etc.)

Where is the real power or decision making authority in you state? Is it in the state network office, the state university system, state utility commission, governor's office, telcos, all of these, etc.?

Are there any studies in your state that would be helpful?

If we visited your state, who should we talk to (not names but titles)?

If the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation were going to try and help in this arena, what could they do?

Thoughts from Focus Group – More detailed information about high connectivity state’s network: